Dear Introverts: You Don’t Have to Be Extroverted to Enjoy a Career in Nursing
If you aren’t much of a chatterbox and constant socializing sucks the energy out of you, you’re not alone.
According to the Myers & Briggs scale, you likely fall somewhere on the introverted range.
Introverts generally don’t look forward to engaging tons of people for extended periods of time or else you’ll get tired or irritable. While they can be shy, this isn’t always the case.They can be fun and exciting, but recharge and thrive in moments of solitude, whereas extroverts get their energy from socializing with others.
So how does that work if you’re pursuing a career in nursing --- an industry with tons of co-workers (nurses, techs, doctors, etc.), patients and constant fires to put out?
Nursing is a big, diverse field with many specialties and opportunities that is suited for a wide array of personalities.
The main characteristics any nurse needs is to be successful have strong work ethic, math skills to handle med conversions, a caring nature, patience, and of course, a license to practice.
If you prefer to deal with bigger crowds in small doses, if small talk irks your entire being, and if you would make it a point to avoid spending too much time gabbing at the nurse’s station, there are a couple of options that might be a great fit for you.
Be a “Floater
Even though you don’t mind a conversation here and there, you may just want to get in, take care of your patients, and get out.
While you don’t want to get too invested in work gossip or divulging too much about your personal life, you might not want to come off as the standoffish co-worker. So what’s a good work option for being just friendly enough without getting in too deep? Become a nurse on float team. Every shift, you will be assigned on a different area or floor. This way, you can get to know nurses enough to become comfortable with them without getting dragged into the daily social inner workings of these working environments.
Neonatal ICU
This is a nursing specialty working with newborns dealing with a variety of challenges, including premature births, defects, cardiac problems and other issues during the first month of life. It’s very laid back and quiet. Most of your interaction is going to be centered around educating and talking to parents about taking care of their children.
PACU Nursing
Post anesthesia care unit (PACU) nurses are registered nurses that provide intensive observation and treatment of patients who have undergone anesthesia. Since they’re unconscious, the gig is pretty quiet.You’re simply enhancing their lives by providing critical care to patients in the post-anesthesia care unit. You care for patients who are recovering from general, regional, or local anesthesia, monitoring vital signs and making sure that patient comfort is maximized, and you don’t have a whole ton of excitement going on, so it’s a bit more relaxed.
The great thing is, these are just the tip of the iceberg.
The nursing field is chock filled with opportunities like these.
You can even work from home as a nurse: https://ceufast.com/blog/work-at-home-options-for-nurses.
The bottom line? If your heart is drawn to nursing and you happen to be an introvert, you still belong here just like everybody else. Are you an introvert that’s found the perfect nursing opportunity for you? Tell us what you do in the comments below.
